MSAGL-JS
SkillDocs & knowledgeUse MSAGL-JS (Microsoft Automatic Graph Layout) to lay out and visualize networks in JavaScript or TypeScript. Use for graph and network layout, DOT/JSON/JGF parsing, live embedded SVG or WebGL graphs, Sugiyama/MDS/IPSepCola layouts, edge routing, and exporting SVG, PDF, PNG, EPS, or PostScript figures for LaTeX and other documents.
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What this skill tells your AI
The instructions your AI receives, as published by microsoft/msagljs in skills/msagljs/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.
Use this skill to add automatic graph layout or network visualization with the
@msagl/* packages.
Choose the workflow
| Goal | Workflow |
|---|---|
| Compute node positions and routed edge curves without a viewer | Core layout |
| Embed an interactive graph that appears when a page loads | Live web embedding |
| Add or configure the SVG or WebGL renderer | Browser renderers |
| Select a layout algorithm or edge-routing mode | Layout and routing |
| Generate SVG, PDF, PNG, EPS, or PostScript for a document | Document export |
| Choose packages or parse graph inputs | Packages and inputs |
| Diagnose an integration problem | Troubleshooting |
Required process
- Inspect the target project's package manager, framework, runtime, and existing build or test commands.
- Determine whether the result should be core geometry, a live SVG viewer, a live WebGL viewer, or a static document figure.
- Identify the graph source: programmatic nodes and edges, inline DOT/JSON, a local graph file, or an API response.
- Install every
@msagl/*package imported directly by the code. Do not rely on transitive dependencies. - Select the layout and routing based on graph direction, graph size, and the desired visual style.
- Implement the matching workflow using public package exports.
- Validate with the target project's existing typecheck, build, tests, or a browser smoke test. Confirm the output is visibly non-empty.
Invariants
new Edge(source, target)registers the edge with both endpoint nodes. Do not invent a separateaddEdgecall.- Add every node to its
Graph. - Direct core layout requires a
GeomGraph, aGeomNodewith a boundary curve for each node, and aGeomEdgefor each edge beforelayoutGeomGraph. RendererSvg.setGraph()is synchronous. WebGLRenderer.setGraph()is asynchronous and must be awaited.- Browser renderers require
window,document, canvas text measurement, and a mounted container with nonzero dimensions. Do not run them during SSR. - Pass a dedicated container to a renderer. Do not rely on its
document.bodydefault in an embedded application. - Retain one renderer instance per mounted container and update it with
setGraph()orsetOptions(). Do not reconstruct it on every framework render. - Omit
layoutTypeto use the renderer default. The string'default'is not a validLayoutOptions.layoutType. - Use only public package exports, not internal source paths.
- Preserve the textual graph source when generating PDF, EPS, or PostScript. The binary figure should not be the only editable artifact.
Static export helper
For a repository without an existing browser application, install the helper's locked dependencies from this skill directory:
npm ci --prefix scripts
Then render a graph:
node scripts/render-network.mjs examples/network.dot figures/network.pdf \
--layout sugiyama-lr \
--routing spline
The output extension selects svg, pdf, png, eps, or ps. PDF is the
default choice for pdfLaTeX, LuaLaTeX, and XeLaTeX. EPS is intended for legacy
LaTeX-to-DVI-to-PostScript workflows.
Do not pre-approve shell execution for this skill. Let the agent host apply its normal permission policy before installing dependencies or running commands.
Completion criteria
- The graph input is retained or generated in a reviewable text format.
- The selected packages, layout, routing, and renderer match the use case.
- Live viewers show loading and error states and render after their container is mounted.
- Static outputs use vector SVG/PDF/EPS unless raster output was requested.
- Generated code compiles, and the resulting graph or document asset has been opened or otherwise checked for non-empty output.
Signals
- GitHub stars
- 175
- Forks
- 18
- Last commit
- Sep 2026
Advanced
- Catalog kind
- skill
- Gateway key
msagljs- Source
- github.com/microsoft/msagljs